The present invention relates to a system for communicating with computational equipment utilized in checkout, launch and operation of space vehicles such as a space shuttle, and more particularly to a system wherein a plurality of computers may be used for controlling, processing, feeding, and receiving information from throughout the system with a provision for any computer to interrupt the operation of any other computer.
Heretofore, automated equipment utilized for checking out, launching, and operating a space vehicle was comprised of computers, displays (man-machine interfaces) and end item controllers interconnected by a limited communications medium, thereby making simultaneous parallel processing by several computers difficult if not impossible to implement. As a result of these restrictions, processing was performed serially, requiring considerable operating time, human intervention, and operational constraints prohibiting the checkout system from taking advantage of the specialized capabilities of certain computers.